Skinningrove coastguard and Cleveland Potash miner Paul Waugh has been chosen to carry the Queen's baton on a local stage of Her Majesty's Jubilee relay run in July.

Skinningrove coastguard and Cleveland Potash miner Paul Waugh has been chosen to carry the Queen's baton on a local stage of Her Majesty's Jubilee relay run in July.

Paul, 38, from Skelton, is a keen charity runner who has no fewer than ten London Marathons under his belt.

He said: "I'm proud to be selected for this stretch of the run -it will probably be in Brotton.

"We will be told the exact route about a month beforehand."

And he quipped: "I'm really looking forward to it. I'm a keen Royalist - I have to be really because the Queen is my gaffer in the HM Coastguard!"

Around 5,000 runners will start out at Buckingham Palace on July 6 in a relay which will travel all round England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales and the Channel Islands.

The last runner will deliver a message in the baton from the Queen to the Commonwealth Games in Manchester, which are due to be held from July 25 to August 4.

Paul said: "A special team of national judges has chosen nominated representatives to carry the batons on each leg.

"The organisers have written to tell me I have been chosen to represent the community."

Other local runners due to take part in the Queen's Jubilee baton relay include Samantha Jones, 33, of Redcar, honoured for her work at the Grenfell Centre for people with learning and physical disabilities.

Olga Hodgman, 50, of Hartburn, a customer service manager at Asda, Thornaby, was also nominated after her strength of spirit and positive attitude helped her battle breast cancer.